Research Advances in Management and Design of Forest Operations: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to present this second edition of the Special Issue on “Research Advances in Management and Design of Forest Operations” (www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/special_issues/G6J8O38XAW) that follows on from the success of the first edition, which comprised nine articles. We look forward to receiving even more high-quality contributions in this edition.

Even as global megatrends and operational challenges push all sectors to work more efficiently and sustainably, forest management deserves greater attention as one of the most pressing challenges forest managers will continue to face is adapting management and operations to changing climatic conditions.

The concept of climate-smart forestry (CSF), a targeted strategy that aims to increase the climate benefits of forests and the forest sector in a synergistic way, has emerged in recent years. However, CSF cannot be achieved without the sustainable implementation of forest operations. In this context, it is essential to consider recent research, development, and innovation (RDI) that improves the cost efficiency, energy efficiency, and quality of wood-harvesting operations, long-distance transport, and forest road planning.

Rapid technological development, combined with increasing demand for wood and reduced access to labor, is driving significant advances in forestry machinery and systems. A clear example is Forest 4.0, which integrates advanced digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and big data analytics into forest management. The overarching goals of these developments are to optimize resource use, reduce waste, improve supply chain management, and strengthen decision-making through data-driven insights.

In this regard, we would like to create a compendium of research on the management and planning of forest operations that encompasses multiple perspectives on how to cope with changing climatic conditions and with the modern challenges that forest managers face. We invite both original research papers and literature reviews touching on the following topics:

• Shaping sustainable forest operations in a changing climate;
• Evaluation of the sustainability of forest operations from the perspective of the three pillars (economy, environment, and society);
• Assessment of the environmental impacts related to forest operations and design of best management practices for mitigation of and/or adaptation to changing climate;
• Innovative forest harvesting systems, technology, and techniques;
• The role and potential of precision forestry (robotics, LIDAR, trafficability maps, etc.) in improving the sustainability of forest operations;
• Environmentally friendly forest operations and reduced-impact logging (RIL);
• How forest operations can be adjusted to preserve levels of biodiversity necessary to keep forests healthy and productive.

We encourage studies from all fields—including experimental studies, monitoring approaches, and models pertaining to silviculture and logging activities—as contributions to this Special Issue in order to promote knowledge and adaptation strategies for the active management, preservation, and future development of climate-smart forest operations.

Prof. Dr. Rodolfo Picchio
Dr. Francesco Latterini
Dr. Rachele Venanzi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• climate-smart forest operations
• harvesting systems
• sustainable forest management
• best management practices
• trafficability maps
• reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques

• Research Advances in Management and Design of Forest Operations in Forests (9 articles)